Paper sheet feeder

ABSTRACT

A paper sheet feeder ( 1 ) comprises a paper money feeder ( 4 ) having a motor ( 11 ) for conveying paper money (A) along a paper money feeding route ( 2 ), a paper money detection sensor ( 15 ) provided in the paper money feeding route ( 2 ), and a controller for stopping the drive of the motor ( 11 ) after the paper money (A) has passed the paper money detection sensor ( 15 ) and positioning the paper money (A) at a prescribed position downstream of the paper money detection sensor ( 15 ), wherein the controller ( 25 ) are constituted so as to control the drive time of the motor ( 11 ) after the paper money (A) has passed the paper money detection sensor ( 15 ) based on the time interval required for the paper money (A) to pass through a certain sector of the paper money feeding route ( 2 ) positioned upstream from the paper money detection sensor ( 15 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] This invention relates to a paper sheet feeder for conveyingpaper money and other papers, provided inside a vending machine, moneychanging machine or game machine.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] In general, a paper money feeder is loaded inside the main bodiesof such equipment as vending machines, money changing machines and gamemachines and the like. The paper money feeder guides paper moneyinserted through a paper money insertion slot along a paper moneyfeeding route, judge whether the paper money is genuine or counterfeitwhile guiding that paper money, and guide paper money identified asgenuine to a stacker downstream from the paper money feeder.

[0003]FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts of aconventional paper money feeder.

[0004] This conventional paper money feeder 31 is configured such thatit comprises paper money feeding means 4 comprising a motor (not shown)for conveying paper money A inserted through a paper money insertionslot 2 a along a roughly inverted U-shaped paper money feeding route 2,a paper money detection sensor 15 placed in the paper money feedingroute 2, and control means (not shown) for stopping the drive of themotor after the paper money A has passed the paper money detectionsensor 15 and positioning that paper money A in a prescribed positiondownstream from the paper money detection sensor 15.

[0005] Of these components, the paper money feeding means 4 areconfigured by an endless paper money conveyance belt 5 provided undertension along the paper money feeding route 2, paper money conveyancebelt drive means 10 comprising pulleys 6, 7, 8, and 9 that turn anddrive that paper money conveyance belt 5, a motor (not shown) forimparting drive force to the paper money conveyance belt drive means 10,and an encoder (not shown) for detecting the drive pulse number for thatmotor.

[0006] Reference numeral 13 is a roller that turns in the oppositedirection as the paper money conveyance belt 5, being a reinforcingroller that reinforces the paper money conveying force provided by thepaper money conveyance belt 5.

[0007] The paper money detection sensor 15 comprises a lever 16 thatprojects toward the paper money feeding route 2, the back end of whichlever 16 is supported by a shaft 17 so that it can freely turn.

[0008] At this paper money detection sensor 15, when the leading end ofthe paper money A passes the lever 16, that leading end of that papermoney A presses against the fore end of the lever 16, and causes thatfore end of that lever to turn counterclockwise about the shaft 17,wherefore that turning is detected and an ON signal is sent to thecontrol means. When the trailing end of the paper money A passes thelever 16, the fore end of the lever 16 turns clockwise about the shaft17 and returns to its initial position, wherefore that turning isdetected and an OFF signal is sent to the control means.

[0009] Meanwhile, a paper money identification sensor 18 that is a papermoney detection sensor separate from the paper money detection sensor 15is provided in the paper money feeding route 2 at the position where thepaper money conveyance belt 5 is provided, upstream from the paper moneydetection sensor 15. This paper money identification sensor 18 isconfigured by photosensors comprising a light emitting element and alight receiving element.

[0010] In the paper money feeding route 2 positioned downstream from thepaper money detection sensor 15, furthermore, a stacker 19 is providedfor accommodating internally therein the paper money A that is genuine.Between that stacker 19 and the paper money detection sensor 15, a paperreturn prevention lever 20 is interposed which prevents paper money Aaccommodated inside the stacker 19 from being taken back into the papermoney feeding route 2.

[0011] The back end of that paper money return prevention lever 20 issupported so that it can freely turn by a shaft 21 provided in the papermoney feeder 31, while the fore end of the paper money return preventionlever 20 is oriented toward the paper money feeding route 2 that is atthe upper end of the stacker 19.

[0012] In the paper money feeding route 2 positioned downstream from thepaper money return prevention lever 20 are provided paper money movingmeans 22 comprising a pressing part 22 a.

[0013] As illustrated in FIG. 8, furthermore, an entry slot sensor 3 isprovided in the vicinity of the paper money insertion slot 2 a that isupstream from the paper money feeding route 2.

[0014] To the control means (not shown), meanwhile, are input papermoney A insertion information from the entry slot sensor 3, and papermoney A travel position information and paper money Agenuine/counterfeit identification information from the paper moneyidentification sensor 18. To these control means, furthermore, are inputpaper money A travel position information from the paper money detectionsensor 15 also, and information relating to the drive pulse number tothe motor of the paper money feeding means 4 from the encoder (notshown) of the paper money feeding means 4. Vending machine transactionprocessing information is also input to the control means.

[0015] These control means judge whether the paper money is genuine orcounterfeit, based on the input paper money A genuine/counterfeitidentification information, and also control the drive of the motor ofthe paper money feeding means 4 and the drive of the paper money movingmeans 22 based on the results of that judgment and on various otherinformation.

[0016] Next, the operation of this conventional paper money feeder 31 isdescribed with the flowchart given in FIG. 9.

[0017] In the standby condition, the control means (not shown) in thisconventional paper money feeder 31 will be judging whether or not theentry slot sensor 3 has turned ON (step 201), and, when it is judgedthat the entry slot sensor 3 has turned ON, those control means judgethat paper money A has been inserted from the paper money insert slot 2a and that the leading end of that paper money A has passed the entryslot sensor 3, and drive the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 sothat it turns forward (step 202). Thereupon, the pulleys 6, 7, 8, and 9of the paper money conveyance belt drive means 10 will turn in theclockwise direction and the paper money conveyance belt 5 will also turnin the clockwise direction, wherefore the paper money A will be conveyedupward along the paper money feeding route 2 by the drive force of thepaper money conveyance belt 5. When the leading end of that paper moneyA passes the pulley 6, that paper money A will be conveyed downwardalong the paper money feeding route 2.

[0018] The control means, meanwhile, after driving the motor of thepaper money feeding means 4 in step 202, begin determining whether ornot the paper money identification sensor 18 has turned ON (step 203)and, when those means judge that that paper money identification sensorhas turned ON, thereupon judge that the leading end of the paper money Ahas reached the paper money identification sensor 18, perform processingto read in identification information for that paper money A by thepaper money identification sensor 18 (step 204), and judge whether thepaper money A is genuine or counterfeit.

[0019] Then, when the control means have judged that the paper money Ais genuine, that paper money A is conveyed further downstream in thepaper money feeding route 2, maintaining the forward drive on the motorof the paper money feeding means 4, and a judgment is made as to whetheror not the paper money identification sensor 18 has turned OFF (step205).

[0020] When the control means judge in this step 205 that the papermoney identification sensor 18 has turned OFF, those control means judgethat the trailing end of the paper money A has passed the paper moneyidentification sensor 18, stop the motor of the paper money feedingmeans 4 (step 206), thereby temporarily hold the paper money A in thepaper money feeding route 2, and transition to a so-called paper moneyescrow condition (step 207). In this paper money escrow condition, theleading end of the paper money A has already passed the paper moneydetection sensor 15, and that paper money detection sensor 15 is turnedON.

[0021] Now, when a product purchase button of the vending machine ispressed while in this paper money escrow condition, the control meansjudge that a normal transaction has been conducted, discharge theproduct from the vending machine, and transition to a money storageoperation that accommodates the paper money A that was being temporarilyheld (in escrow) in the paper money feeding route 2 into the stacker 19.

[0022] More specifically, the control means again drive the motor of thepaper money feeding means 4 forward (step 208), make the paper moneyconveyance belt 5 turn in the clockwise direction, thereby guide thepaper money A farther downstream, and begin determining whether or notthe paper money detection sensor 15 has turned OFF (step 209). Thecontrol means, upon judging in that step 209 that the paper moneydetection sensor 15 has turned OFF, judge that the trailing end of thepaper money A has passed the paper money detection sensor 15, and, aftercausing the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 to be driven aprescribed number of pulses determined beforehand from the input of anOFF signal output by the paper money detection sensor 15 (YES in step210), stop the motor (step 211). The number of motor drive pulses iscounted by an encoder in the paper money feeding means 4.

[0023] Thereupon, the paper money A the trailing end whereof has beendetected by the paper money detection sensor 15 is guided into a slit 22b in the paper money moving means 22, and the trailing end of that papermoney A stops at a position that is as constant as possible.

[0024] Thereupon, the control means, upon driving the pressing part 22 aof the paper money moving means 22, are able to guide the paper money Apiece by piece to the stacker 19 (step 212), and, thereby, can safelyaccommodate the paper money A inside the stacker 19.

[0025] Furthermore, because the trailing end (upper edge) of the papermoney A accommodated inside the stacker 19 in this manner is engaged bythe fore end of the paper money return prevention lever 20, it ispossible to avoid, to the extent possible, the danger of paper money Athat has once been accommodated inside the stacker 19 being pressedagainst by other paper money A accommodated inside the stacker 19 sothat it is pushed out into the paper money feeding route 2 so as tointerfere with the operation of accommodating the paper money A conveyednext or cause paper money jamming.

[0026] When the control means judge that paper money A is counterfeit,those control means drive the motor of the paper money feeding means 4in reverse, cause the paper money conveyance belt 5 to turn in thecounterclockwise direction by the pulleys 6, 7, 8, and 9 that are thepaper money conveyance belt drive means 10, and thereby return thecounterfeit bill from the paper money insertion slot 2 a.

[0027] When the return button of the vending machine is pressed also,the control means drive the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 inreverse, cause the paper money conveyance belt 5 to turn in thecounterclockwise direction, and return the escrowed (temporarily held)paper money A via the paper money insertion slot 2 a.

[0028] Now, based on the conventional paper money feeder 31 described inthe foregoing, due to environmental changes in temperature, etc., at theinstallation site of the vending machine or the like comprising thepaper money feeder 31, or to fluctuations in the voltage supplied to themotor of the paper money feeding means 4, the load on that motor willfluctuate, and the speed V wherewith that paper money A is conveyed willfluctuate, wherefore, after it has been detected by the paper moneyidentification sensor that the paper money A has passed, even if themotor is stopped after driving it a predetermined prescribed number ofpulses, the inertial force of the motor after the drive has stopped willfluctuate. As a result, there have been cases where it is very difficultto stop the trailing end of the paper money A at a determined position.

[0029] In a case where a vending machine comprising a paper money feeder31 has been installed at a high-temperature site, for example, or thevoltage supplied to the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 is highvoltage (HV), problems have arisen in that, the load on that motorbecomes small compared to cases of normal temperature, and the speed Vwherewith the paper money A is conveyed becomes fast, wherefore evenwhen that motor is stopped after driving it a predetermined prescribednumber of pulses after detecting passage of the paper money A by thepaper money detection sensor 15, the inertial force of the motor afterthe drive thereto has stopped is larger than in cases of normaltemperature, so that the trailing end of the paper money A gets sentfurther downstream than the determined position, as a consequencewhereof the upper edge of that paper money A accommodated inside thestacker 19 is pushed out into the paper money feeding route 2 withoutbeing engaged by the paper money return prevention lever 20, whereuponit interferes with the operation of accommodating the paper money Aconveyed next, or causes paper money jamming.

[0030] In a case where a vending machine comprising a paper money feeder31 has been installed at a low-temperature site, for example, or thevoltage supplied to the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 is lowvoltage (LV), problems have arisen in that, the load on that motorbecomes large compared to cases of normal temperature, and the speed Vwherewith the paper money A is conveyed becomes slow, wherefore evenwhen that motor is stopped after driving it a predetermined prescribednumber of pulses after detecting passage of the paper money A by thepaper money detection sensor 15, the inertial force of the motor afterthe drive thereto has stopped is smaller than in cases of normaltemperature, so that the paper money cannot be sent all the way to thedetermined position (insufficient feed), and the paper money A cannot bedefinitely accommodated inside the stacker 19.

[0031] This problem of not being able to stop the trailing end of thepaper money A at a determined position is not limited to paper moneyfeeders that stop the paper money A in a determined position, but alsoarises similarly in paper sheet feeders (such as coupon conveyors orgift certificate conveyors) that stop other papers (such as coupons orgift certificates, etc.) at a determined position.

[0032] An object of the present invention, which was devised in view ofthe circumstances described in the foregoing, is to provide a paperprocessing apparatus capable of stopping conveyed paper so that thetrailing end thereof is positioned at a determined position, withoutbeing influenced either by environmental changes in temperature and thelike at the installation site or by variation in the voltage supplied tothe motor of the paper money feeding means.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

[0033] According to the present invention, a paper sheet feedercomprises paper conveying means having a motor, for conveying paperalong a paper feeding route; a paper detection sensor provided in thepaper feeding route; and control means for stopping drive of the motorafter the paper has passed the paper detection sensor and positioningthe paper at a prescribed position downstream of the paper detectionsensor, wherein the control means are made so as to control drive timeof the motor after the paper has passed the paper detection sensor,based on time interval required for the paper to pass through a certainsector of the paper feeding route positioned upstream from the paperdetection sensor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0034]FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts ofone embodiment of a paper money feeder according to the presentinvention;

[0035]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of control means for controlling thepaper money feeder illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0036]FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the processing procedures of controlmeans for controlling the paper money feeder illustrated in FIG. 1;

[0037] FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams representing the relationshipbetween the motor drive time after the trailing end of paper money hasbeen detected by a paper money detection sensor and the distance thepaper money is conveyed by the motor (horizontal axis), with FIG. 4(a)particularly representing the situation prior to correcting the motordrive time after detection of the trailing end of the paper money by thepaper money detection sensor, and FIG. 4(b) representing the situationafter correcting the motor drive time after detection of the trailingend of the paper money by the paper money detection sensor;

[0038]FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts ofanother embodiment of the paper money feeder;

[0039]FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the processing procedures of controlmeans for controlling the paper money feeder in another embodimentillustrated in FIG. 5;

[0040] FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are diagrams representing the relationshipbetween the motor drive time after escrow and the distance the papermoney is conveyed by the motor (horizontal axis), with FIG. 7(a)particularly representing the situation prior to correcting the motordrive time after escrow, and FIG. 7(b) representing the situation aftercorrecting the motor drive time after escrow;

[0041]FIG. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts of aconventional paper money feeder; and

[0042]FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the processing procedures of controlmeans for controlling the conventional paper sheet feeder illustrated inFIG. 8.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0043] A detailed description is given below of a paper money feeder forprocessing the conveyance of paper money that is one example of papers,as one embodiment of the paper sheet feeder according to the presentinvention.

[0044]FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts of apaper money feeder wherein the paper sheet feeder of the presentinvention has been applied, wherein parts that are the same as in FIG. 8are designated by the same symbols.

[0045] This paper money feeder 1 comprises paper money feeding means 4comprising a motor 11 (FIG. 2) for conveying paper money A insertedthrough the paper money insertion slot 2 a along the roughly invertedU-shaped paper money feeding route 2, the paper money detection sensor15 placed in the paper money feeding route 2, and control means 25 (FIG.2) for stopping the drive of the motor 11 after the paper money A passesthe paper money detection sensor 15 and positioning the paper money in aprescribed position downstream of the paper money detection sensor 15.

[0046] Of those components, the paper money feeding means 4 areconfigured of the endless paper money conveyance belt 5, the paper moneyconveyance belt drive means 10, the motor 11 (FIG. 2) for imparting adrive force to the paper money conveyance belt drive means 10, and theencoder 12 (FIG. 2) for detecting the drive pulse number for that motor11.

[0047] In the paper money feeding route 2, furthermore, as in theconventional example, are provided the entry slot sensor 3, paper moneyidentification sensor 18 comprising photosensors, stacker 19, paperreturn prevention lever 20, and paper money moving means 22 comprisingthe pressing part 22 a.

[0048] Next, the operation of the paper money feeder 1 described aboveis described, and, in conjunction therewith, the configuration thereofis described in greater detail.

[0049]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control means 25 for controllingthe drive of the paper money feeder 1 of the present invention.

[0050] These control means 25 are configured of a CPU (centralprocessing unit) and peripheral circuits the main configuring elementswhereof are a main memory unit and an auxiliary memory unit.

[0051] To these control means 25, paper money A insertion information isinput from the entry slot sensor 3, and paper money A travel positioninformation and paper money A genuine/counterfeit identificationinformation are input from the paper money identification sensor 18. Tothe control means 25, furthermore, paper money A travel positioninformation is input from the paper money detection sensor 15, andinformation relating to the drive pulse number for the motor 11 of thepaper money feeding means 4 is input from the encoder 12 in the papermoney feeding means 4. To the control means 25, in addition, vendingmachine transaction processing information is input.

[0052] Furthermore, the control means 25 judge whether the paper moneyis genuine or counterfeit, based on the input paper money Agenuine/counterfeit identification information, and also control thedrive of the motor 11 of the paper money feeding means 4 based on theresults of that judgment and on various other information.

[0053] In addition, the control means 25 measure the time interval T1required for the paper money A to pass through a certain sector of thepaper money feeding route 2 positioned upstream from the paper moneydetection sensor 15, then, based on that time interval T1, calculate thetime to drive the motor 11 after the paper money A passes the papermoney detection sensor 15 (that is, calculate correction pulse numberP), and, based on the results of that calculation, control the drive ofthe motor 11 and the drive of the paper money moving means 22.

[0054] Next, the processing procedures of the control means 25 describedabove are described with the flowchart given in FIG. 3, and FIGS. 4(a)and 4(b) (described below).

[0055] In the standby condition, the control means 25 judge whether ornot the entry slot sensor 3 has turned ON (step 101) and then, when theentry slot sensor 3 does turn ON, judge that paper money A has beeninserted through the paper money insertion slot 2 a and that the leadingend of that paper money A has passed the entry slot sensor 3, and drivethe motor 11 of the paper money feeding means 4 (step 102). Thereupon,the pulleys 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the paper money conveyance belt drivemeans 10 turn in the clockwise direction and the paper money conveyancebelt 5 also turns in the clockwise direction. As a consequence, due tothe driving force of the paper money conveyance belt 5, the paper moneyA is conveyed upward along the paper money feeding route 2. When theleading end of the paper money A passes the pulley 6, that paper moneyis conveyed downward along the paper money feeding route 2.

[0056] The control means 25, meanwhile, after driving the motor 11 ofthe paper money feeding means 4 in step 102, judge whether or not thepaper money identification sensor 18 has turned ON (step 103) and, uponjudging that that paper money identification sensor 18 has turned ON,judge that the leading end of the paper money A has reached the papermoney identification sensor 18, perform processing to read inidentification information for that paper money A by the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 (step 104), and judge whether the paper money Ais genuine or counterfeit.

[0057] The control means 25 begin to measure the time interval T1required for the paper money A to pass through the certain sector in thepaper money feeding route 2 positioned upstream from the paper moneydetection sensor 15, and, at the same time, begin to measure, by theencoder 12, the number of pulses P1 that the motor 11 has been drivenwithin that time interval T1.

[0058] In the condition wherein the leading end of the paper money A hasreached the paper money identification sensor 18 (step 104), the motor11 has already reached a constant speed state.

[0059] Meanwhile, when the control means have judged the paper money Ato be genuine, those control means convey the paper money A furtherdownstream in the paper money feeding route 2, maintaining the forwarddrive of the motor 11 in the paper money feeding means 4, and also judgewhether or not the paper money identification sensor 18 has turned OFF(step 105).

[0060] Upon judging that the paper money identification sensor 18 hasturned OFF in step 105, the control means 25 judge that the trailing endof the paper money A has passed the paper money identification sensor18, stop the motor 11 in the paper money feeding means 4 (step 106), andterminate both the measurement of the time interval T1 required for thepaper money A to pass through the certain sector and the measurement ofthe number of pulses P1 the motor 1 was driven within that time intervalT1.

[0061] Based on the measured drive time interval T1 and the number ofpulses P1 for the motor 11, the control means 25 calculate (in step 107)the motor conveyance speed V by the following formula.

[0062] Calculation Formula 1:

V=P1/T1 (number of pulses/time)

[0063] Next, based on the conveyance speed V of the motor 11 socalculated, the control means 25 calculate (in step 108) the number ofpulses Pd that the motor 11 is driven by inertial force when that motor11, being driven at that conveyance speed V, was immediately stopped atthe point in time when the trailing end of the paper money A passed thepaper money detection sensor 15 (hereinafter called the “measured pulsenumber Pd”) by the following formula.

[0064] Calculation Formula 2:

Pd=aV+b

[0065] (where a and b are constants)

[0066] The constants a and b are constants obtained by priorexperimental investigation of the relationship between the conveyancespeed V of the motor 11 and the number of pulses Pd that motor 11 isdriven by inertial force when that motor 11, being driven at theconveyance speed V, is stopped immediately at the point in time when thetrailing end of the paper money A passes the paper money detectionsensor 15. That is, it has been demonstrated that, within the range ofthe conveyance speed V of the motor 11 when performing paper moneyconveyance operations or paper money positioning operations, whether atlow temperature, normal temperature, or high temperature, the relationalequation Pd=aV+b (where a and b are constants) is roughly established.

[0067] Next, based on the measured pulse number Pd calculated accordingto Calculation Formula 2, the control means 25 (in step 109) calculatethe correction pulse number P according to the following formula.

[0068] Calculation Formula 3:

P=c−Pd

[0069] (where c is a constant)

[0070] The constant c is the drive pulse number required for the motor11 to convey the paper money A the trailing end whereof has passed thepaper money detection sensor 15, over the distance between the papermoney detection sensor 15 and the paper money return prevention lever20, that is, the ideal pulse number calculated beforehand as the drivepulse number the motor 11 should be driven so as to turn after the papermoney A trailing end has passed the paper money detection sensor 15.

[0071] In this Calculation Formula 3, the correction pulse number Pcalculated as the difference between the constant c that is the idealpulse number and the measured pulse number Pd is a value that indicates,with reference to the drive pulse number for the motor 11, the extent towhich the paper money A is not fed far enough, or the extent to which itis fed too far, by the turning resulting only from the inertial force ofthe motor 11 when the drive of the motor 11 is stopped immediately afterthe trailing end of the paper money A has passed the paper moneydetection sensor 15.

[0072] With this paper money feeder 1, furthermore, as will be describedsubsequently, the motor 11 is not stopped immediately at the point intime when the trailing end of the paper money A passes the paper moneydetection sensor 15, but provision is made so that it is stopped afterdriving it just the correction pulse number P. Hence correction iseffected so that the drive pulse number wherewith the motor 11 is drivenafter the paper money A has passed the paper money detection sensor 15becomes the ideal pulse number c in overall terms inclusive of theinertial force.

[0073] If the measured number of pulses Pd is fewer than the ideal pulsenumber c (P>0), for example, as illustrated in FIG. 4(a), when the motor11 is stopped immediately at the point in time when the trailing end ofthe paper money A passed the paper money detection sensor 15, the papermoney A will not be conveyed all the way to the determined position butwill be insufficiently fed, but the distance of that feed shortness canbe detected beforehand in terms of how many pulses it is, with referenceto the drive pulse number for the motor 11, by the correction pulsenumber P.

[0074] In that case, then, the motor 11 is not stopped immediately atthe point in time when the paper money A passes the paper moneydetection sensor 15, but provision is made so that, as illustrated inFIG. 4(b), the motor 11 is stopped after an allowance for the lackingpulses, that is, after being driven by just the correction pulse numberP. When that is done, the drive pulse number wherewith the motor 11 isdriven after the paper money A passes the paper money detection sensor15 can be corrected to the ideal pulse number c in overall termsinclusive of the inertial force, and thus the trailing end of the papermoney A can be stopped at the determined position.

[0075] FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b) are diagrams representing the relationshipbetween the drive time for the motor 11 after the trailing end of thepaper money A is detected by the paper money detection sensor 15 and thedistance the paper money A trailing end is conveyed by the motor 11(horizontal axis). FIG. 4(a) represents a situation where, when themotor 11 is stopped immediately at the point in time when the trailingend of the paper money A is detected by the paper money detection sensor15, the motor 11 is driven by just the measured pulse number Pd by theinertial force and then stopped. That measured pulse number Pd here isfewer than the ideal pulse number c, wherefore the trailing end of thepaper money A is stopped after being fed insufficiently.

[0076]FIG. 4(b) represents a situation where, by stopping the motor 11resulting in feed insufficiency by the inertial force alone afterdriving it by just the correction pulse number P after the trailing endof the paper money A is detected by the paper money detection sensor 15,the drive pulse number for the motor 11 after the detection of thetrailing end of the paper money A is corrected so that it becomes theideal pulse number c, and the trailing end of the paper money A isstopped and positioned to the degree possible at the determinedposition.

[0077] In FIGS. 4(a) and 4(b), in particular, situations are representedwhere the measured pulse number Pd is 9 pulses, the correction pulsenumber P is 6 pulses, and the ideal pulse number is 15 pulses.

[0078] However, when the correction pulse number P found from theCalculation Formula 2 described earlier is such that P>N, the controlmeans alter the correction pulse number P so that P=N. This value N isthe upper limit on the paper money feed amount at which the trailing endof the paper money A does not fall away from the paper money returnprevention lever 20, in a relationship such that c<N.

[0079] Thus when the correction pulse number P is such that P>N, thatindicates that the measured number of pulses Pd found from theconveyance speed V is far fewer than the ideal pulse number c, and thatthe amount of paper money A feed insufficiency is extremely large.However, when the distance between the paper money detection sensor 15and the paper money return prevention lever 20 is taken intoconsideration, it is believed that, in actuality, the trailing end ofthe paper money A will be engaged by the paper money return preventionlever 20 (described subsequently) if the correction pulse number P issuch that P=N, wherefore the correction pulse number P is corrected sothat P=N. That is, when the calculated correction pulse number P is suchthat P>N, by stopping the motor 11 after driving it by just the numberof pulses N after the paper money A passes the paper money detectionsensor 15, the trailing end of the paper money A is stopped andpositioned to the degree possible at the determined position.

[0080] When P<0, on the other hand, the control means 25 alter thecorrection pulse number P so that P=0.

[0081] Thus, a case where P<0 indicates that the measured number ofpulses Pd found from the conveyance speed V is greater than the idealpulse number c, in which case, even if the motor 11 is stoppedimmediately after the trailing end of the paper money A passes the papermoney detection sensor 15, the paper money A will be sent furtherdownstream than the determined position, resulting in the paper money Abeing fed too far, but the distance of that overfeeding can be detectedbeforehand in terms of how many pulses it is, with reference to thedrive pulse number for the motor 11, by the correction pulse number P.

[0082] In this case, furthermore, the motor 11 should be stopped at aposition where the motor 11 has been driven number of pulses that isfewer by the number of pulses of overfeeding, before the paper money Apasses the paper money detection sensor 15, but the control means 25 aresuch that they will stop the drive of the motor 11 after the paper moneyA has passed the paper money detection sensor 15, wherefore controlcannot be effected to make P<0, and, for that reason, the correctionpulse number P is here altered so that P=0. That is, provision is madeso that, when P<0, the drive of the motor 11 is stopped immediately atthe point in time when the paper money A passes the paper moneydetection sensor 15, and the trailing end of the paper money A isthereby stopped and positioned to the degree possible at the determinedposition.

[0083] In step 106, meanwhile, the control means 25 have stopped thedrive of the motor 11 in the paper money feeding means 4, wherefore thepaper money feeder 1 has transitioned to the so-called paper moneyescrow condition where it temporarily holds the paper money A in thepaper money feeding route 2 (step 110). In this paper money escrowcondition, the leading end of the paper money A has already passed thepaper money detection sensor 15, and that paper money detection sensor15 is turned ON.

[0084] While in this paper money escrow condition, if a product purchasebutton on the vending machine is pressed, the control means 25 willjudge that a normal transaction has been performed, discharge a productfrom the vending machine, and transition to a money storage operationfor taking the paper money A that is being temporarily held (escrowed)in the paper money feeding route 2 and accommodating it in the stacker19.

[0085] That is, when the money storage operation is transitioned to, thecontrol means 25 again drive the motor 11 of the paper money feedingmeans 4 in the forward direction (step 111), causing the paper moneyconveyance belt 5 to turn in the forward direction, thus guiding thepaper money A further downstream, and begin to determine whether or notthe paper money detection sensor 15 has turned OFF (step 112). In thisstep 112, upon determining that the paper money detection sensor 15 hasturned OFF, the control means 25 judge that the trailing end of thepaper money A has passed the paper money detection sensor 15, and stopthe motor 11 (in step 114), after driving it just the correction pulsenumber P calculated as noted earlier (in step 113), from the input ofthe OFF signal by the output from the paper money detection sensor 15.

[0086] Thus, in this paper money feeder 1, the control means 25 are madeso that, based on the time interval T1 required for paper money A topass through a certain sector in the paper money feeding route 2positioned upstream from the paper money detection sensor 15, thosemeans calculate beforehand the conveyance speed V of the motor 11 at thepoint in time when the trailing end of the paper money A will pass thepaper money detection sensor 15, then, from that measured pulse numberPd, based on that conveyance speed V, calculate beforehand the measuredpulse number Pd wherewith the motor 11 will be driven by inertial forcewhen it is stopped immediately at the point in time when the paper moneyA passes the paper money detection sensor 15, then calculate, as thecorrection pulse number P, the time the motor 11 is driven until thatmotor 11 is stopped after the paper money A trailing end passes thepaper money detection sensor 15, so that the drive pulse numberwherewith the motor 11 is driven after the paper money A passes thepaper money detection sensor 15 becomes the ideal pulse number c, inoverall terms, and control the motor 11 based on that correction pulsenumber P. Therefore, those control means 25 can stop the trailing end ofthe paper money A to the degree possible at the determined position,irrespective of fluctuations in the inertial force after the motor 11drive stops, even when the load on that motor 11 fluctuates and thepaper money A conveyance speed V has fluctuated due to environmentalchanges in temperature and the like at the installation site for thevending machine or the like comprising that paper money feeder 1, orfluctuations in the voltage supplied to the motor of the paper moneyfeeding means 4.

[0087] In a case, for example, where a vending machine comprising thepaper money feeder 1 has been installed at a low-temperature site, orthe voltage supplied to the motor of the paper money feeding means 4 islow voltage (LV), the load on that motor becomes large compared to casesof normal temperature, and the speed V wherewith the paper money A isconveyed becomes slower, as a consequence whereof there is a danger thatthe inertial force after the motor 11 stops will become small and thatfeed insufficiency will ensue wherewith the trailing end of the papermoney A is not fed all the way to the determined position. With thispaper money feeder 1, however, the conveyance speed V of that motor 11is detected beforehand based on the time interval T1 required for thepaper money A to pass through a certain sector upstream from the papermoney detection sensor 15. Then, based on that detected conveyance speedV of the motor 11, the measured pulse number Pd wherewith the motor 11will be driven by the inertial force when the motor 11 is stoppedimmediately at the point in time when the paper money A passes the papermoney detection sensor 15 is calculated beforehand. Then, based on thatmeasured pulse number Pd, by how much the motor 11 will feedinsufficiently is detected in terms of the correction pulse number P.Therefore, when provision is made to stop the motor 11 after it has beenfurther driven, by the correction pulse number P, from the point in timewhen that paper money A passed the paper money detection sensor 15, thedrive pulse number from the point in time when the paper money A passesthe paper money detection sensor 15 until the motor stops can be madethe ideal pulse number P, in overall terms inclusive of the inertialforce. Therefore, the danger of the paper money A not being fed farenough with the inertial force of the motor 11 being small can beavoided to the degree possible, and, as a consequence, the trailing endof the paper money A stopped and positioned to the degree possible atthe determined position.

[0088] In a case, on the other hand, where a vending machine comprisingthe paper money feeder 1 has been installed at a high-temperature site,or the voltage supplied to the motor of the paper money feeding means 4is high voltage (HV), the load on that motor becomes smaller than incases of normal temperature, and the speed V wherewith the paper money Ais conveyed becomes faster, as a consequence whereof the inertial forceafter the motor 11 stops will become larger. However, the conveyancespeed V of that motor 11 is detected beforehand based on the timeinterval T1 required for the paper money A to pass through a certainsector upstream from the paper money detection sensor 15. Then, based onthat conveyance speed V, the measured pulse number Pd wherewith themotor 11 will be driven by the inertial force when it is stoppedimmediately at the point in time when the paper money A passes the papermoney detection sensor 15 is calculated beforehand. And, based on thatmeasured pulse number Pd, the overfeeding of the paper money A by themotor 11 can be detected in terms of the correction pulse number P. Inthis case, therefore, provision is made so that the drive of the motor11 is immediately stopped when that paper money A passes the paper moneydetection sensor 15 (altering the correction pulse number P when P<0 sothat P=0), and provision is made so that, thereby, the drive pulsenumber whereby the motor 11 is driven after the paper money A passes thepaper money detection sensor 15 is made to approach as close as possibleto the ideal pulse number P. For that reason, the danger of the trailingend of the paper money A being fed too far, downstream from thedetermined position, with the inertial force of the motor 11 beinglarge, can be avoided to the degree possible, and, as a consequence, thetrailing end of the paper money A can be stopped and positioned to thedegree possible at the determined position.

[0089] Accordingly, after step 114, when the control means 25 drive thepressing part of the paper money moving means 22, the paper money isguided piece by piece toward the stacker 19 (step 115), and the papermoney A is definitely accommodated inside the stacker 19 and engageddefinitely by the paper money return prevention lever 20. As aconsequence, the danger of the paper money A failing to be engaged bythe paper money return prevention lever 20 so that it interferes withpaper money A accommodation operations or causes paper money jammingwill be eliminated to the extent possible.

[0090] Provision is made in this embodiment so that the time the motor11 is driven after the paper money A passes the paper money detectionsensor 15 (correction pulse number P) is calculated and, based on theresults of that calculation, the drive of the motor 11 and the drive ofthe paper money moving means 22 are controlled. However, the presentinvention is not limited to or by the embodiment described in theforegoing, but provision may be made instead so that, without using apaper money detection sensor 15, the drive time during which the motor11 is again driven after the trailing end of the paper money A haspassed the paper money identification sensor 18 and stopped (thecorrection pulse number P′) is calculated and, based on the results ofthat calculation, the drive of the motor 11 that is again driven and thedrive of the paper money moving means 22 are controlled.

[0091]FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts of apaper money feeder 50 representing another embodiment of the presentinvention, wherein the same parts as in FIG. 1 are designated by thesame symbols.

[0092] This paper money feeder 50 differs from the paper money feeder 1described earlier only insofar as no use is made of the paper moneydetection sensor 15 or the processing procedures performed by thecontrol means 25 described earlier. Otherwise the configuration is thesame and the same parts are not described further here. Needless to say,the paper money detection sensor 15 block is removed from the blockdiagram in FIG. 2.

[0093] Next, the processing procedures performed by the control means 25of the paper money feeder 50 described above are described with theflowchart given in FIG. 6, and FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) (describedsubsequently).

[0094] With this paper money feeder 50 also, as with the paper moneyfeeder 1 described earlier, when in the standby condition, the controlmeans 25 judge whether or not the entry slot sensor 3 has turned ON(step 101) and then, when the entry slot sensor 3 does turn ON, judgethat paper money A has been inserted through the paper money insertionslot 2 a and that the leading end thereof has passed the entry slotsensor 3, and drive the motor 11 of the paper money feeding means 4(step 102). Thereupon, the pulleys 6, 7, 8, and 9 of the paper moneyconveyance belt drive means 10 turn in the clockwise direction and thepaper money conveyance belt 5 also turns in the clockwise direction. Asa consequence, due to the driving force of the paper money conveyancebelt 5, the paper money A is conveyed upward along the paper moneyfeeding route 2 and, when the leading end of the paper money A passesthe pulley 6, that paper money is conveyed downward along the papermoney feeding route 2.

[0095] The control means 25, meanwhile, after driving the motor 11 ofthe paper money feeding means 4 in step 102, judge whether or not thepaper money identification sensor 18 has turned ON (step 103) and, uponjudging that that paper money identification sensor 18 has turned ON,judge that the leading end of the paper money A has reached the papermoney identification sensor 18, perform processing to read inidentification information for that paper money A by the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 (step 104), and judge whether the paper money Ais genuine or counterfeit.

[0096] The control means 25, in step 104, begin to measure the timeinterval T1 required for the paper money A to pass through the certainsector in the paper money feeding route 2 positioned upstream from thepaper money identification sensor 18, and, at the same time, begin tomeasure, by the encoder 12, the number of pulses P1 that the motor 11has been driven within that time interval T1.

[0097] In the condition wherein the leading end of the paper money A hasreached the paper money identification sensor 18 (step 104), the motor11 has already reached a constant speed state.

[0098] Meanwhile, when the control means 25 have judged the paper moneyA to be genuine, in step 104, those control means convey the paper moneyA further downstream in the paper money feeding route 2, maintaining theforward drive of the motor 11 in the paper money feeding means 4, andalso judge whether or not the paper money identification sensor 18 hasturned OFF (step 105).

[0099] Upon judging that the paper money identification sensor 18 hasturned OFF in step 105, the control means 25, in step 106, judge thatthe trailing end of the paper money A has passed the paper moneyidentification sensor 18, and stop the motor 11 in the paper moneyfeeding means 4. Thus the control means 25 cause the paper money A toreach a state of temporary holding (escrowed condition) and, at the sametime, measure the time interval T1 required for the paper money A topass through the certain sector noted earlier and terminate themeasurement of the number of pulses P1 the motor 11 was driven withinthat time interval T1.

[0100] Next, after stopping the drive of the motor 11 by the paper moneyfeeding means 4 in step 106, the control means 25 measure, by theencoder 12, the number of pulses until the motor 11 actually stopsturning, that is, the motor stop pulse number Pst, and stores that motorstop pulse number Pst in memory (step 107).

[0101] Next, the control means 25 (in step 108) calculate the motorconveyance speed V, based on the drive time interval T1 measured in step106 and the number of pulses P1 for the motor 11, from the formulabelow.

[0102] Calculation Formula 1:

V=P1/T1 (number of pulses/time)

[0103] Next, based on the conveyance speed V of the motor 11 calculated,the control means 25 (in step 109) calculate the number of pulses Pdwherewith that motor 11 is driven by inertial force when the drive ofthe motor 11 being driven at that conveyance speed V is immediatelystopped (hereinafter called the “measured pulse number Pd”) as describedearlier from the following formula.

[0104] Calculation Formula 2:

Pd=aV+b

[0105] (where a and b are constants)

[0106] Next, based on the measured pulse number Pd calculated byCalculation Formula 2, the control means 25 (in step 110) calculate thecorrection pulse number P′ from the following formula.

[0107] Calculation Formula 3:

P′=c′−Pd−Pst

[0108] (where c′ is a constant)

[0109] The constant c′ here is the ideal pulse number obtained bycalculating beforehand the drive pulse number for the motor 11 requiredwhen the paper money A is conveyed over the distance between the papermoney identification sensor 18 and the paper money return preventionlever 20, that is, the drive pulse number the motor 11 should be drivenso that it turns after the paper money A trailing end passes the papermoney identification sensor 18.

[0110] In this Calculation Formula 3, the correction pulse number P′calculated by subtracting the measured pulse number Pd and the motorstop pulse number Pst from the constant c′ that is the ideal pulsenumber is a value that expresses, with reference to the drive pulsenumber for the motor 11, either by how far the paper money A will beinsufficiently fed, or how far it will be overfed, when the motor 11 isagain driven and immediately stopped, after the trailing end of thepaper money A has passed the paper money identification sensor 18 andstopped in the escrow position (Pst), and the paper money A is conveyedbeyond that by the inertial force of the motor 11. With this paper moneyfeeder 50, as will be described further below, after the trailing end ofthe paper money A passes the paper money identification sensor 18 and isstopped in the escrow position, the motor 11 is not driven again andimmediately stopped, but provision is made so that the motor 11 isstopped after being driven by just the correction pulse number P′described above, whereby, after the paper money A passes the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 and has stopped in the escrow position, thedrive pulse number by which the motor 11 is again driven is corrected sothat it becomes the ideal pulse number c′, in overall terms inclusive ofthe inertial force.

[0111] When the measured number of pulses Pd+the motor stop pulse numberPst is smaller than the ideal pulse number c′ (P′>0), as illustrated inFIG. 7(a), after the paper money A has passed the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 and stopped in the escrow position (Pst), whenthe motor 11 is again driven and immediately stopped, insufficient feedresults wherewith the paper money A is not conveyed as far as thedetermined position, and the distance of that feeding insufficiency canbe detected beforehand by the correction pulse number P′, in terms ofhow many pulses it is, with reference to the drive pulse number for themotor 11.

[0112] In this case, after the paper money A passes the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 and stops at the escrow position (Psi), themotor 11 is not driven again and immediately stopped, but provision ismade so that, when, as illustrated in FIG. 7(b), the motor 11 is stoppedafter being driven further by the measure of the insufficient pulses,that is, by just the correction pulse number P′, after the paper money Apasses the paper money identification sensor 18 and stops at the escrowposition (Pst), the drive pulse number by which the motor 11 is againdriven can be corrected to the ideal pulse number c′ in overall termsinclusive of the inertial force, and, thereby, the trailing end of thepaper money A can be stopped at the determined position.

[0113] FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b) are diagrams representing the relationshipbetween the drive time the motor 11 is again driven after the papermoney A passes the paper money identification sensor 18 and stops at theescrow position (Pst), and the distance the paper money A trailing endis conveyed by the motor 11 (horizontal axis). In FIG. 7(a) isrepresented a situation where, when, after the paper money A passes thepaper money identification sensor 18 and stops at the escrow position(Pst), the motor 11 that is again driven is immediately stopped, themotor 11 is driven just the measured pulse number Pd by the inertialforce. Here, that measured pulse number Pd+the motor stop pulse numberPst will be smaller than the ideal pulse number c′, wherefore thetrailing end of the paper money A is stopped after being fedinsufficiently.

[0114] In FIG. 7(b), on the other hand, is represented a situation whereprovision is made so that, by stopping the motor 11 that has again beendriven after it has been driven just the correction pulse number P′,after the paper money A has passed the paper money identification sensor18 and stopped at the escrow position (Pst), that is, the motor 11 thatresulted in insufficient feed with the inertial force only, the numberof motor 11 turning drive pulses after detection of the trailing end ofthe paper money A by the paper money identification sensor 18 iscorrected so as to become the ideal pulse number c′, the trailing end ofthe paper money A can be stopped and positioned to the degree possibleat the determined position.

[0115] In FIGS. 7(a) and 7(b), in particular, situations are representedwhere the motor stop pulse number Pst is 2 pulses, the measured pulsenumber Pd is 7 pulses, the correction pulse number P′ is 6 pulses, andthe ideal pulse number c′ is 15 pulses.

[0116] However, when the correction pulse number P′ found from theCalculation Formula 2 described earlier is such that P′>N, the controlmeans 25 alter the correction pulse number P′ so that P′=N.

[0117] Thus when the correction pulse number P′ is such that P′>N, thatindicates that the measured number of pulses Pd found from theconveyance speed V+the motor stop pulse number Pst is far fewer than theideal pulse number c′, and that the amount of paper money A feedinsufficiency is extremely large. However, when the distance between thepaper money identification sensor 18 and the paper money returnprevention lever 20 is taken into consideration, it is believed that, inactuality, the trailing end of the paper money A will be engaged by thepaper money return prevention lever 20 (FIG. 5) if the correction pulsenumber P′ is such that P′=N, wherefore the correction pulse number P′ iscorrected so that P′=N.

[0118] That is, when the calculated correction pulse number P′ is suchthat P′>N, by stopping the motor 11 after driving it by just the numberof pulses N after the paper money A passes the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 and stops at the escrow position, the trailingend of the paper money A is stopped and positioned to the degreepossible at the determined position.

[0119] When P′<0, on the other hand, the control means 25 alter thecorrection pulse number P′ so that P′=0.

[0120] Thus, a case where P′<0 indicates that the measured number ofpulses Pd found from the conveyance speed V+the motor stop pulse numberPst is greater than the ideal pulse number c′, in which case, even ifthe motor 11 that is again driven, after the paper money A passes thepaper money identification sensor 18 and stops at the escrow position(Pst), is stopped immediately, the paper money A will be sent furtherdownstream than the determined position, resulting in the paper money Abeing fed too far, but the distance of that overfeeding can be detectedbeforehand in terms of how many pulses it is, with reference to thedrive pulse number for the motor 11, by the correction pulse number P′.

[0121] In this case, furthermore, the motor 11 should be stopped at aposition where the motor 11 has been driven number of pulses that isfewer by the number of pulses of overfeeding, before the paper money Apasses the paper money identification sensor 18, but the control means25 are such that they will stop the motor 11 after the paper money Apasses the paper money identification sensor 18, then again drive themotor 11, and stop that drive, wherefore control cannot be effected tomake P′<0, and, for that reason, the correction pulse number P′ is herealtered so that P′=0.

[0122] That is, provision is made so that, when P′<0, after the papermoney A has passed the paper money identification sensor 18 and stopped,the drive thereof, that is, of the motor 11 that should again be driven,is stopped, and, thereby, the trailing end of the paper money A isstopped and positioned to the degree possible at the determinedposition.

[0123] In step 106 indicated in FIG. 6, meanwhile, the control means 25have stopped the drive of the motor 11 in the paper money feeding means4, wherefore the paper money feeder 50 has transitioned to the so-calledpaper money escrow condition where it temporarily holds the paper moneyA in the paper money feeding route 2 (step 111). However, while in thispaper money escrow condition, if a product purchase button on thevending machine is pressed, the control means 25 will judge that anormal transaction has been performed, discharge a product from thevending machine, and transition to a money storage operation for takingthe paper money A that is being temporarily held (escrowed) in the papermoney feeding route 2 and accommodating it in the stacker 19.

[0124] That is, when the money storage operation is transitioned to, thecontrol means 25 again drive the motor 11 of the paper money feedingmeans 4 in the forward direction (step 112), causing the paper moneyconveyance belt 5 to turn in the forward direction, thus guiding thepaper money A further downstream, and, after driving the motor 11 (instep 113) by just the correction pulse number P′ calculated as notedearlier, from the drive of the motor 11 in step 112, stop that drive(step 114).

[0125] Thus, in this paper money feeder 50 described in the foregoing,the control means 25, based on the time interval T1 required for a papermoney A to pass through a certain sector in the paper money feedingroute 2 positioned upstream from the paper money identification sensor18, calculate beforehand the conveyance speed V of the motor 11 at thepoint in time when the trailing end of the paper money A will pass thepaper money identification sensor 18, and store in memory the number ofpulses the motor 11 is driven so as to turn until the paper money Apasses the paper money identification sensor 18 and stops at the escrowposition, that is, the motor stop pulse number Pst.

[0126] The control means 25 are made so that, based on the calculatedconveyance speed V, when the motor 11 that is again driven, after thepaper money A has passed the paper money identification sensor 18 andstopped at the escrow position (Pst), and the drive thereof isimmediately stopped, those means calculate beforehand the measured pulsenumber Pd the motor 11 will be driven so that it turns by the inertialforce, also calculate the driving time the motor 11 is again driven, asthe correction pulse number P′, from that measured pulse number Pd+themotor stop pulse number Pst stored in memory, so that the drive pulsenumber the motor 11 is again driven will become the ideal pulse numberc′, in overall terms, and control the motor 11 based on that correctionpulse number P′. As a consequence, those control means 25 can stop thetrailing end of the paper money A to the degree possible at thedetermined position, irrespective of fluctuations in the inertial forceafter the motor 11 drive stops, even when the load on that motor 11fluctuates and the paper money A conveyance speed V has fluctuated dueto environmental changes in temperature and the like at the installationsite for the vending machine or the like comprising the paper moneyfeeder 50 described in the foregoing, or fluctuations in the voltagesupplied to the motor of the paper money feeding means 4.

[0127] Accordingly, after step 114 indicated in FIG. 6, when the controlmeans 25 drive the pressing part of the paper money moving means 22illustrated in FIG. 5, the paper money is guided piece by piece towardthe stacker 19 (step 115), and the paper money A is definitelyaccommodated inside the stacker 19 and engaged definitely by the papermoney return prevention lever 20. As a consequence, the danger of thepaper money A failing to be engaged by the paper money return preventionlever 20 so that it interferes with paper money A accommodationoperations or causes paper money jamming will be eliminated to theextent possible.

[0128] In the embodiments described above, furthermore, the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 is configured of a pair of photosensorscomprising a pair of light emitting and light receiving elements, butthe present invention is not limited to or by those embodiments, and thepaper money identification sensor may be configured by a plurality ofpairs of photosensors comprising a plurality of pairs of light emittingand light receiving elements, may be such as detects with a plurality oflight emitting elements and a single light receiving element, or may beconfigured by a single light emitting element and a plurality of lightreceiving elements, in which cases provision may be made so that onepair of photosensors comprising a pair of light emitting and lightreceiving elements is selected therefrom, and that pair is made thepaper money identification sensor 18 in the paper money feeder 50represented in the foregoing embodiments.

[0129] In the paper money feeders 1 and 50 in these embodiments,provision is made so that the measurement of the time interval T1required for the paper money A to pass through the certain sector andthe measurement of the number of pulses P1 by which the motor is drivenduring that time interval T1 are begun after the motor 11 has reached aconstant speed (steady) state. In the present invention, however, thetime of starting measurements is not limited thereto or thereby, andprovision may be made so that measurements are started from a transitionstate prior to the motor 11 reaching a steady state.

[0130] With the paper money feeders 1 and 50 in these embodiments, thecontrol means 25 are made so that they calculate the correction pulsenumber P for the motor 11 for all paper money A inserted through thepaper money insertion slot 2 a, and control the drive time of the motor11 based thereon. However, the control means 25 in the paper moneyfeeder of the present invention may be such that do not perform a motor11 drive time control operation for all paper money A inserted throughthe paper money insertion slot 2 a, but, for example, so that thosecontrol means 25 perform that motor drive time control operation onlywhen the length of paper money A inserted through the paper moneyinsertion slot 2 a is shorter than a certain length.

[0131] The length of the paper money is determined based on the timesthe leading end and trailing end of the paper money are detected by thepaper money identification sensor 18, for example.

[0132] In the paper money feeders 1 and 50 of these embodiments,provision is made so that the time interval T1 required for the papermoney A to pass through the certain sector is calculated on the basis ofthe times the leading end and trailing end of the paper money A aredetected by the paper money identification sensor 18. However, thesensor for measuring that time interval T1 is not limited to the papermoney identification sensor 18, and provision may be made so that, forexample, the calculation is made from a suitable range with the timefrom the detection of the leading end of the paper money A to thedetection of the trailing end thereof by the entry slot sensor 3.

[0133] In the paper money feeders 1 and 50 of these embodiments,provision is made so that the time interval T1 required for the papermoney to pass through the certain sector and the number of pulses P1 themotor 11 is driven within that time interval T1 are measured, theconveyance speed V of the motor 11 is calculated thereby, and correctionpulse number P or P′ is calculated based on that calculated conveyancespeed V. However, in the paper money feeder of the present invention, itis not absolutely necessary to calculate the conveyance speed V of themotor 11.

[0134] Provision may be made so that, for example, the time interval T2from the detection of the trailing end of the paper money A by the entryslot sensor 3 (when the entry slot sensor 3 turns OFF) and the detectionof the trailing end of the paper money A by the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 (when the paper money identification sensor 18turns OFF) is measured, and, based on that measured time interval T2,the drive time for the motor 11 after the paper money A has passedeither the paper money detection sensor 15 or the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 (i.e. the correction pulse number P or P′) isdetermined. In that case, the ratio between the distance S1 between theentry slot sensor 3 and the paper money identification sensor 18, on theone hand, and either the distance S2 between the paper moneyidentification sensor 18 and the paper money return prevention lever 20,or the distance S3 between the paper money detection sensor 15 and thepaper money return prevention lever 20, on the other, is knownbeforehand, wherefore the correction pulse number P or P′ can becalculated from the measured time interval T2.

[0135] In the paper money feeders 1 and 50 of these embodiments, thecontrol operation for positioning the trailing end of the paper money Ais done for the purpose of definitely accommodating the paper money A inthe stacker 19 and having that paper money A engaged by the paper moneyreturn prevention lever 20 to prevent paper money jamming. However, ifthe control operation of the paper money feeder of the present inventionis done for the purpose of positioning the paper money A, it may be anapparatus that is used for some other purpose than the paper moneyaccommodation operation described in the foregoing.

[0136] In the paper money feeders 1 and 50 of these embodiments, a papermoney feeder has been described which stops the trailing end of thepaper money A at a determined position. When the trailing end of thepaper money A can be stopped at a determined position in this manner,paper money of different types (lengths) (such as ¥1000 notes and ¥2000notes) can be accommodated in the same stacker 19, made to be definitelyengaged by the paper money return prevention lever 20, and paper moneyjamming prevented.

[0137] The paper money feeder of the present invention is not limited toa paper money feeder that stops the trailing end of the paper money A ata determined position, but may be a paper money feeder that stops theleading end of the paper money at a determined position.

[0138] In the paper money feeders 1 and 50 of these embodiments,furthermore, a paper money feeder has been described which conveys thepaper money A such that it is stopped at a determined position, but,needless to say, the present invention can be applied in paper sheetfeeders (such as coupon conveyors or gift certificate conveyors) thatperform processing which stops other types of papers (such as coupons orgift certificates, for example) at a determined position.

[0139] In the paper sheet feeder of the present invention, as describedin the foregoing, a paper sheet feeder comprises: paper conveying meanscomprising a motor for conveying paper along a paper feeding route; apaper detection sensor provided in the paper feeding route; and controlmeans for stopping the drive of the motor after the paper has passed thepaper detection sensor and positioning the paper at a prescribedposition downstream of the paper detection sensor; wherein the controlmeans are made to control the drive time of the motor after the paperhas passed the paper detection sensor based on the time required for thepaper to pass through a certain sector of the paper feeding routepositioned upstream from the paper detection sensor, wherefore the papercan be stopped so that the trailing ends thereof are positioned to thedegree possible at a determined position, even when environmentalchanges in temperature and the like occur at the installation site, orfluctuations occur in the voltage supplied to the motor of the papermoney feeding means, and the load on that motor fluctuates, so that thespeed wherewith the paper is conveyed fluctuates and the inertial forceafter the motor drive is stopped fluctuates.

[0140] Thus a paper money feeder, gift certificate conveying apparatus,or other paper sheet feeder can be provided which performs stableoperations.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

[0141] The paper sheet feeder of the present invention is well suitedfor paper money feeders gift certificate conveying apparatuses and otherpaper sheet feeders wherein it is necessary to stop the trailing end ofthe paper at a determined position.

1. A paper sheet feeder comprising: paper conveying means having amotor, for conveying paper along a paper feeding route; a paperdetection sensor provided in the paper feeding route; and control meansfor stopping drive of the motor after the paper has passed the paperdetection sensor and positioning the paper at a prescribed positiondownstream of the paper detection sensor, wherein the control means aremade so as to control drive time of the motor after the paper has passedthe paper detection sensor, based on time interval required for thepaper to pass through a certain sector of the paper feeding routepositioned upstream from the paper detection sensor.
 2. The paper sheetfeeder according to claim 1, further comprising another paper detectionsensor different from the first-mentioned paper detection sensor,provided upstream from the first-mentioned paper detection sensor,wherein time interval T1 required for the paper to pass through thecertain sector is calculated based on detected times at which leadingend and trailing end of the paper pass the another paper detectionsensor; and number of revolutions of the motor is converted to number ofpulses by an encoder, and wherein the control means are adapted to:calculate beforehand conveyance speed V of the motor at point in timewhen the trailing end of the paper passes the paper detection sensor,based on the detected time interval T1; calculate beforehand measuredpulse number Pd for the motor which is driven so that it turns byinertial force of the motor when the motor is stopped immediately afterthe paper passes the paper detection sensor, based on that calculatedconveyance speed V; calculate drive time interval for the motor afterthe trailing end of the paper passes the paper detection sensor untilthe motor is stopped as correction pulse number P so that total drivepulse number of the motor driven after the paper passes the paperdetection sensor becomes equal to ideal pulse number c, from themeasured pulse number Pd,; and control drive of the motor based on thecorrection pulse number P.
 3. The paper sheet feeder according to claim2, wherein the control means are adapted to: calculate a conveyancespeed V for the motor according to an equation V=P1/T1 (number ofpulses/time interval) where T1 is time interval required for the paperto pass through the certain sector, and P1 is number of pulses the motoris driven within the time interval T1; calculate number of pulses Pd(measured pulse number Pd) for the motor which is driven by inertialforce when the motor is stopped immediately after trailing end of thepaper passes the paper detection sensor, according to a followingequation Pd=aV+b (where a and b are constants); and calculate thecorrection pulse number P based on the calculated measured pulse numberPd, according to an equation P=c−Pd (where c (ideal pulse number) is aconstant).
 4. The paper sheet feeder according to claim 1, furthercomprising an encoder by way of which number of revolutions of the motoris converted to number of pulses, wherein the control means are adaptedto: calculate time interval T1 required for the paper to pass throughthe certain sector based on detected times at which leading end andtrailing end of the paper pass the paper detection sensor; calculatebeforehand conveyance speed V of the motor at point in time when thetrailing end of the paper will pass the paper detection sensor, based onthat detected time interval T1; store number of pulses (motor stop pulsenumber) Pst for the motor which is driven so as to turn to positionwhere conveyance of the paper stops, that is, to an escrow position(temporary holding position) Pst, when the motor is stopped immediatelyat point in time when the paper passes a paper identification sensor;calculate beforehand measured pulse number Pd for the motor which isdriven so as to turn by inertial force based on the calculatedconveyance speed V, when the motor that is again driven after the paperpasses the paper identification sensor and stops in the escrow positionPst, is immediately stopped; calculate, from sum of the measured pulsenumber Pd and the stored motor stop pulse number Pst, a motor drive timeinterval from the motor is driven again until the motor is stopped, ascorrection pulse number P′, so that drive pulse number of the motor thatis driven again as a whole becomes an ideal pulse number c′; and controlthe motor based on the correction pulse number P′.
 5. The paper sheetfeeder according to claim 4, wherein the control means are adapted to:calculate a conveyance speed V for the motor according to a followingequation V=P1/T1 (number of pulses/time interval) where T1 is timeinterval required for the paper to pass through the certain sector, andP1 is number of pulses the motor is driven within the time interval T1;calculate number of pulses Pd (measured pulse number Pd) for the motorwhich is driven by inertial force when the motor is stopped immediatelyafter trailing end of the paper passes the paper detection sensor,according to a following equation Pd=aV+b (where a and b are constants);and calculate the correction pulse number P′ based on the calculatedmeasured pulse number Pd according to a following equation P′=c′−Pd−Pst(where c′ (the ideal pulse number) is a constant, and Pst is the motorstop pulse number Pst stored in memory).